Monday

• 1 Herradura and rlj - home
• 1 High Life tallboy - home
• 1 Birra Moretti - Talarico's
  

Sunday

• 1 can Bud Light
  

Hula Pride

• 1 pint Roger's Pilsner - Luna Park Cafe
• 2 Miller High Life tallboys - BGBBQFSPATGF (see below)
• 1 sangria - BGBBQFSPATGF
• 1 bottle Redhook Sunrye - BGBBQFSPATGF
• 1 Jello shot (who still does these??) - BGBBQFSPATGF

Today was Brian's Gay BBQ For Straight People And Their Gay Friends. It was a great time, and not only because we got to watch the small collection of dykes parade past his house during the inauguratory Pride march, but because the sun was sweltering, everyone was drinking and relaxing, and a hula hoop was pulled out of nowhere! I remember hula'ing in grade school for PE. You can't not have a good time with anything made by Wham-O (hula hoops, frisbees, and wasn't Jarts made by them too before they were outlawed?)

Friday

• 1 Herencia Mexicana reposado - home

It's hard to believe that two Friday's ago I was golfing and celebrating the end of the school year. It seems so much longer than that!

Thursday

• No drinks.
  

Wednesday

• No drinks.
  

Drinks on the Links

• 2 Rainier tallboys - Interbay Golf Course
• 2 pints High Life (on tap!) - Mike's Chili Parlor
  
• 1 sangria - Ocho
• 1 pint Rainier - The Viking

So this is why a golf course is sometimes called the links. I guess it's a special type of course in Scotland?

the OG at SC

• 1 bottle Peroni - Olive Garden
• 1 glass red wine - Olive Garden
  

Peenya Coladuz!

• 2 pina coladas (one virgin and one not so virgin) - home

...made with Coca Lopez cream of coconut! Ya gotta check out their website. It's totally old-skool html.

Solstice

• 1 can Bud Light - home
• 2 glasses Stella Artois - M & K's wedding reception - DAR
  
• 3(?) glasses Bud Light - M & K's w.r.
• 1 champagne - M & K's w.r.
• 1 bottle Modelo Especial - Galerias
  
• 1 Malibu & pineapple juice (really?!) - K's birthday - Madison Pub
• 1 pint Stella - Madison Pub

Water Taxi'ing

• 2 pints Hale's Kolsch - Red Lion rooftop
• 1 Imperial pint Stone IPA - Elephant & Castle
• 1 bottle Corona - K's house

The Elliott Bay Water Taxi is the best! Where else can you get a 15 minute ride on the water for $3? I know! It's such a cool name too; even though when I think of a taxi, I think of multiple stops, requesting where you want to go, and interesting chats with the driver; of which the Water Taxi has none of these. But (!), it does offer the most wonderful views of the Seattle skyline, the waterfront, Mt. Rainier, Elliott Bay, close-ups of container ships - if you're lucky, (yesterday I saw a ship loaded with containers, and at the very top were mobile homes; it was a pretty cool sight. Imagine living up there! A container ship colony! Families would have their own mobile home (a truly mobile home, haha!) and there could be parks and common areas and you would have the greatest view from your mobile home; and the residents would be looking at the Water Taxi saying "Hey Water Taxi, make a stop over here!")), and cruise ships.

Eavesdropping on the Water Taxi is quite entertaining as well. Tourists for example: "Lookit Andrew! Look at Seattle! This is just beautiful, Mary. Imagine living here. I would ride this every day. Boise doesn't have anything like this. This is beautiful...just beautiful." or the West Seattle-ites talking between themselves: "Well, it is amaaazing that this became so popular. Remember when it first started? People didn't think it would last. People didn't ride it, and now, look. Look at all these people on this boat. I think they should run it year round. I really do. People would ride it. They would. And if that viaduct ever comes down, we're really going to need something like this. Yes we are." and then there's the local showing the tourist around: "Look at that woman over there. (pointing not so inconspicuously to the woman) She's a co-mmu-ter. She rides this to work and back. (then to the woman) EXCUSE ME?! Do you work in Seattle? You do?! You must love going to work this way. Do you ride it every day?"

Like I said, the Water Taxi is the best. :)

Day 4

• 1 pint Manny's - Conor Byrne
• 2 pints Rainier - Conor Byrne
  

Day 3

• Fat Tire Ale - L & J's house
  

Day 2

• 1 16 oz. can PBR - MnM's house
• 2 Imperial pints Guinness - Celtic Swell

Second place at trivia!

Day 1

• 1 16 oz can High Life - home

Brewer's Festival!

• 13 4 oz. tasters - Washington Brewer's Festival
  
• 1 small frozen margarita - home
  
• 1 16 oz can PBR - home

So today I went to my first ever real beer fest! It was a perfect day at St. Ed's Park - the sun was out, the air was warm, the grass smelled good, and there was plenty of great beer to be tasted. These are the beers I tried:

• 2 Summer Solstice Cream Ales (one of my favorites!) and 1 Hop Otten IPA - Anderson Valley Brewing
  
• 1 Industrial IPA - Diamond Knot Brewing
  
• 1 Festina Peche - Dogfish Head Brewery
  
• 1 White Knuckle IPA - Gallaghers' Where U Brew
• 1 Hop Diggidy IPA - Port Townsend Brewing Co.
• 1 Brookside (German Style Pale Lager) - Roslyn Brewing
• 1 3 Grid IPA - Schooner Exact Brewing
• 1 Woody's Oak - Skookum Brewery
• 1 Spring Seasonal - Snipes Mountain Brewing
• 1 Arrogant Bastard Ale, 1 Stone Pale Ale - Stone Brewing
• 1 20:20 Blonde Ale - Two Beers Brewing

Satahday

• 1 bottle Rainier - Shorty's
• 1 bottle miller high life - Rendezvous
• 1 bottle Pacifico - home
  

0!

• twomudslidestwofostersoilcansfourtequilashotsthreepbrsixteensonebottle
  millerhighlifeandthatsalliremember.

Today was the last day of school. There is no better feeling than saying goodbye to your students and suddenly realizing that there is no work to be done for the next two months. It's top shelf Pure Bliss. It's a true high and in the past six or seven years, the last day of school has been one of my favorite days ever. The staff has a golf and lunch party and it's such a fun and relaxing way to end the school year; it's almost a mini-vacation in itself.

Inevitably after every high, there is a low, and typically my first and second week after "The Last Day" I hit a low. To suddenly be faced with all this free time is a wonderful thing, but I'm not one that can relax easily, nor make a decision. I always feel that I should be doing something productive (the "not-able-to-relax" part), and when I determine that I should do something, I can't decide what it's going to be (the "not-able-to-make-a-decision" part). Decisions would be made much easier if, say, I lived in an apartment, or I lived in a house that needed no upkeep, or I had a yard that groomed itself; but I don't, and that's the problem. For me to stay sane, there are many things that need to get done in and around the house, and I feel that I should use my time to do them.

Many years ago, I was more of a free person. I spent summers mountain biking all over Washington and even Oregon, I drove to California to visit my sister, I would travel, I would read a dozen books, I would go to bars, I would ride my bike around Seattle, I would Rollerblade, and I would truly relax. I haven't done that as much in the past few years. I did have a great summer last year however. I rode my cruiser along Alki, I ran every day and I visited friends. It was a good summer, in between some housework here and there. And this brings up point two. Friends.

I miss seeing my teacher friends in the summer. It's nice to go to work and talk (when you can) and laugh and go out and have that daily camaraderie that work life brings. When you're home alone all day, it gets lonely and depressing. There's an adjustment period and mine is usually the first few weeks. Most everyone else works so it's not like you can call them and ask to go out. It doesn't happen that way.

It sounds like I'm complaining. I'm not. (am i?) I love my vacation and I wish that everyone could have extended time off. It seems that it would lead to greater job satisfaction, more creativity, and less stress. At least now, after several years, I know that my "low" is coming, so I try make it as smooth a transition as possible. And the sunshine usually helps.

1...

• 2 1/2 pints PBR - Luna Park Cafe
  
• 1 16 oz can high life - home
  
• Mudslide tasters - home
  

2...

• 1 bottle Kona Longboard Lager - home
• 1 Knob Creek rocks - home
  

The Final Countdown...

• 1 large kick-ass bottle Corona - home
• 1 small rocks-glass Knob Creek - home

Only ten more report card comments to go.

Last week

• 2 pints Rainier - West 5
  

sound & vision

• a bottle of some Merlot from Chile by way of Trader Joes given to us by Susan's aunt from Olympia - home

Remember that scene from "Risky Business" where Tom Cruise dances in his underwear to Bob Segar's Old Time Rock and Roll? Even though I do not dance in my underwear (most of the time anyway) I love to listen to music loudly when I am home alone. And I love to listen loudly when it's least expected. In the morning before work when I'm the only person in the house I can turn it up so loud and be surrounded by sound, or at night (not a Friday or Saturday when it might be expected) after dark when the neighborhood is asleep.

I absolutely love my speakers. I've had them since UCLA when I bought them in a stereo shop (before there were Circuit City's and Best Buys). I traded in a large pair of Cerwin-Vega's (which were rockin' too) for the JBL's I have now, because they allowed that. When it was Final's Week (which is probably the equivalent of the stress-inducing "Report Card Week" that I'm suffering through now), everyone in Westwood would make as much noise as they could at midnight each night throughout the week. I would turn up my stereo as loud as I could and play a fitting song for the Final's Week occasion. Some I remember playing were It's The End of the World (As We Know It) - REM and Where Is My Mind? - Pixies. I'm not sure if my roommates appreciated it, but it was fun and now it's a great memory.

I've hauled these damn speakers around for about 20 years now. They are heavy and fairly large, compared to today's typically smaller speakers, but I just can't seem to give them up. Susan tolerates them, and I think about when we're "with child" and how easy it will be for him/her to knock them over and I think, "What am I to do about them?" And to make matters worse, my dad gave me his surround sound speakers a few years ago, and I love the subwoofer, which takes up even more space in the living room. Anyway, the JBL's sound so good and I don't think I can part with them.

"Risky Business" is one of my favorite all-time movies. I think it's actually one of my first favorite movies. I saw it with my mom when I was under 18 years old (it's rated R) and then saw it again with my dad and step-mom (who were very embarrassed to see it with me and swore they would never take me to see another R rated movie), but I loved it right from the beginning when it was released. I bought the soundtrack and loved that too. I think I love the movie so much because Tom Cruise wasn't well known at this time (and I still think it's his best movie ever...I don't like him as much now) and the movie just flows.....it's one scene after another of dark, sexual, comedic intensity. *"What the fuck" gives you freedom.*

So, if you haven't already guessed, that's me in my underwear above listening to my dad's reel-to-reel in a rental in Lakewood, WA; back in '68. I've always loved and listened to music. My earliest memories of music were singing along to Don McLean's "American Pie" and listening to The Door's "Light My Fire". In fact, my mom has "Light My Fire" listed as my favorite song in my baby book! We also listened to Simon & Garfunkel, Elton John, Carly Simon, The Beatles, Neil Diamond, James Taylor, The Rolling Stones, The Guess Who, and CCR. There were undoubtedly more too. I suppose my dad is my main electronic geekness influence. He always had hundreds of records, and now he has as many CD's too. I don't think he's gotten into digital downloads, but I'm amazed at how many records he still has. And, he does love his electronics.

So, it's late and I need to sign off. My cd is over, the bottle is gone and I need to get some sleep.

Au Revoir,

cheshire

Happy Birthday Kevin!

• 5 plastic pints Heineken (fuck that shit!) from a Heineken mini-keg (fun!) - Kevin & Donna's
• 2 tablespoons Absinthe (mmmm, 150 proof licoricey delight) - Kevin & Donna's
  

FRIDAY!

• 0 drinks
  

Terrible Twos

• 2 pints Rainier - West 5
• 2 Bartender Margs - Mission
• 2 cans Rainier - Young Whore Village
  
• 2 songs sung - Yen Wor Village (Faith & Sweet Baby James)
  

Animal Drinks

• 1 Wild Turkey bourbon rocks - home
• 1/2 bottle Dancing Bull zinfandel - Duke's
  

"Ah, you know....another day, another dollar."

• 2 bottles High Life - Alki Tavern

- Overheard.

Talarico's

• 1 pint Birra Moretti - Talarico's
  

stratus

• 1 bottle Modelo Especial

I hate the gloom and gray like today was. There is no sense of time because the sun can't be seen. It feels and looks the same at 9 am as it does at 6 pm.

Looking at pictures of sunny days and blue sky brighten my mood just a bit.